Metal building frame truss unit



Sept. 15, 1959 c-. PRUESHON 2,904,139

METAL BUILDING FRAME TRUSS UNIT Filed Jan. e, 1956 s Shee ts-Sheet 1 [far/fr Fwd/m2:

Sept. 15, 1959 Filed Jan. 6, 1956 c. PRUDHON 2,904,139

METAL BUILDING FRAME TRUSS UNIT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 @LWISM Sept. 15, 1959 c. ERUDHON 2,904,139 METAL BUILDING FRAME TRUSS UNIT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 6, 1956 lliz'jr Fwd/2021 2,904,139 Patented Sept. 15, 1959 METAL BUILDING FRAME TRUSS Clark Prudhon, Evansville, Wis.

Application January 6, 1956, Serial No. 557,796

2 Claims. (Cl. 189-1) This invention relates to metal frames for buildings such as warehouses and sheds, and refers more particularly to a building frame truss unit comprising spaced apart chords connected by transverse ties and providing a wall supporting column portion and a roof supporting rafter portion. 7 It is an object of this invention to provide a truss type building frame unit having elongated chords connected by transverse ties, wherein both the chords and ties are formed of L-section members and wherein the ties are disposed substantially on the median plane of the unit so that loads imposed upon the unit exert substantially uniform strains thereon at both sides of its median plane, and so that the thickness of the structural member is relatively great, thus minimizing the possibility of lateral bending or twisting of the unit.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a building frame truss unit of the character described which may be fabricated with a minimum of labor from L-section members welded together to provide elongated chords and connecting ties, and whichunit may be inexpensively manufactured without thenecessity for removing it from the fixture in which it is held for welding until it is completely finished.

United S e fic Still another object of this invention resides in theprovision of a method of fabricating a building frame truss unit of the character described whereby the unit may be welded together from L-section members'held in a fixture, without the necessity for removing the partially finished unit from the fixture at any stage'during its fabrication, prior to its completion, and without the need-for making overhead welds or welds in locations which are diflicult to get at.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel structure and method by which it is made,

substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the 'hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims. The accompanying drawings illustrate one'complete example of the method and the physical embodiment of 'the invention constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of theprin'c'i'ples thereof, and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a building with portions of its walls and roof cut away to illustrate the manher in which they are supported by truss unit frames of this invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of one of the building frame truss units per se of this invention;

Figure 3v is a fragmentary perspective view'of the upper end portion of the truss unit;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of thelower end portion of the truss unit;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspeefve view showing a fixture in which the unit of this invention may be assembled, with chord members in position tofbe plaeed in the fixture for the first step in fabricating the truss unit;

at an intermediate stage of its fabrication; and

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 but showing a portion of the truss 'unit in substantially finished form and removed from the fixture.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 5 designates :generally a building, such as a garage, shed or warehouse, incorporating building frame truss units of this invention, designated :generally by .6. Each truss unit comprises an upright column portion 9 and a straight roof supporting rafter portion 10 connected to the upper end of the column portion and defining 'an obtuse angle therewith. Both'the eolumn'and rafter portions 9 and 10 are of trusslike construction, and comprise elongated chords 7 connected and braced by ties8.

The 'buildingframe comprises a number of such truss units extending across the building and spaced along its length, 'tog'e'ther'with lengthwise extending girth strips 11 "and purlins'12. Tofacilitate transportation of the frame members, each has its rafter portion 10 constructed in two sections, namely an inner section 13 adjacent to and permanently joined to the top of the column portion 9, and an outer section 14 detachably connected to the inner section 13. Preferably'the length of the outer sec- 'tion 14 is about twice that of the inner section 13 which is integral with the column'portio'n 9,-so that the outer rafter section '14 will be'of about the same size as the remainder of the truss unit. The rafter sections 13 and '1'4niay be fastened together in endwiseabutting relationship by'means'of 'tie'pl'ates 15 on their chords welded to one of the rafter sections and bolted to their adjoining rafter sect-ions.

It will'beobserved that the frame units extend across the building'in pairs, the units at opposite sides of the roof 'cente'rline being identical with one another, and the outer 'ends of the rafter sections '10 being joined to one another'a't the 'roof centerline. For this purpose an upper "tie plate 16 at the; top of each unit provides for its connecti'on with asimilar tie plate on a mating unit at the "opposite side of'the building, as by means of a bolt or similar fastener engaged in aligning holes 17 in said tie plates.

projecting upward from the footing through holes 20 in the base plate. this invention (each consisting of a column portion and It will beseen that two truss units of connected inner and outer rafter sections) may be readily 'fast'enedtogether while lying flat on the ground, by means of a bolt through their fiatwise overlying tie plates 16, and may be readily erected and secured to a footing.

Girth clips 21 on the outer chords" of the column portions'and purlin clips 22 on the upper chords of the "rafter portions provide for attachment of girth strips and 'purlins,respectively, which may be ordinary 2 x 6 lumber or the like. 'Both-the "girth clips and the purlin clips "comprise sho'rt channel shaped elements having their web's welded or otherwise secured to the chords 'with their flanges outermost. Nail holes 23 in the flanges facilitate attachment of the framing lumber. In the 22 one flange of 'the channel is relatively short to clear anail driven through the purlin from the other-flange.

With the'purlin's and girth strips in place, any suitable sheet siding 24 and roofing '25 may be fastened there't'o'to finish the building.

"Considering more specifically the novel truss unit of this inventiom it is fabricated entirely from L-sect-iion will-not set up unevenly distributed strains therein which twist-or warp it, as 'would'be the caselif the ties were all disposed to one side or theother'of the. m di plane".- 1: i

i The construction'ofthe unit is readily understandable from the method of its fabrication disclosed in Figures 5 through 7,which, by'way' of example, show 'a column andiinner rafter section in various stages of manufacture. A relatively simple channel-like fixture 26 may be used has upstanding legs or flanges 28 forl'supportin'g a-first set of elongated chord forming members 2-7 insidethe fixture in relative positions corresponding to those of the chords on the lower half of the finishedzunit,,.with one leg 29 ofeach'chordmember disposed in acommon (preferably substantially. horizontal) plane and with the other legs 30 of all of thecther cho'rdmem'bers projecting in-the same direction (e.g. downwardly) therefrom, to lie flatwise against the inner surfaces of the flanges 28, and resting edgewise upon the bottom of the fixture. These chord members may be held insaid positions by means of tabs 31 struck'up from the base or bottom of the fixture and which co-operate with the flanges 28 thereof to confine the legs 30 of the chord members in the desired angular relationship.

It will be observed that the column and inner rafter sections of the lower half of the unit are defined by separate chord members endwise abutting one another at anobtuse angle, welded together at their junctions as .infabricating this .lower half of the. unit. The fixture at 33, ;with the chords of the column and inner rafter sections converging away from said junctions;

Shorter tie members 8 are next welded to' the first set of chord members 27. The tie members are held in the fixture by means of clip like fingers on the hottom thereof, with each tie member disposed with. one

jecting legs 37 of the several tie members are edgewise welded to the horizontal legs of the chord members therebeneath, at each end of each tie member, so that everytie extends between and is bonded to each set of converging chord members.

Since the tie member 38 which connects across the junctions 33 of the chord members is subjected to very large compressive loads, it is preferably fashioned from a pair of L-sect-ion members disposed adjacent to one another with their legs projecting in opposite directions and welded to form a hollow square section. To pro- 'vide further rigidity and reinforcement at the corner defining the junction of the wall column and rafter portions, one tie member 39 extends straight and unbroken across the inner corner, being fastened at its ends to the outer chord members and at its middle to the. the inner chord members.

Fabrication of the lower half of the unit is completed inthe fixture by welding a second set of chord members 41 to the ties, with the chord members of the second set disposed alongside those of the first set. members comprising the second set thereofare arranged back to back with those of the first set or in other words each chord of the finished unit comprises two apex of The chord I L-section members, each having one of its legs parallel to and spaced from a leg of the other, with the other legs of the two chord members extending in opposite directions from their parallel legs, and with the ties interposed between and welded to the parallel legs of both chordmembers.

It will be observed that because of the disposition of the ties,t.he second set of chord members may be welded dire'ctlyto them .without necessity for removing the unit 4 from the fixture and without the necessity for overhead or other diificult welding operations.

The tie plates, foot plate, and purlin and girth clips may of course be welded to the structure while it is in the fixture. The upper tie plate 16 should be disposed olf-center, with one face thereof lying on the median plane of the structure, so that when the tie plate of another unit is secured to it the two units will have coinciding median planes and will not have to be warped or twistedduring erection to provide a properly squared up structure. The correct position of the upper tie plate 16 can of course be obtained with a suitable spacer block 43.

The outer rafter sections are fabricated in similar fashion, in a fixture having locating and supporting flanges for the chord members, which flanges are entirely straight but converge toward one end of the fixture. I

From the foregoing description taken together with the accompanying drawings it will be apparent that this invention provides a building frame truss unit having elongated chords and connecting ties, all formed from L-section material, wherein the ties are disposed substantially formity, without the necessity for removing them from 'the fixtures at any time during fabrication and without entailing overhead. or other diflicult welding operations.

What I claim as my invention is:

- '1. A building frame truss unit having chords and L-section-ties forming a wall supporting column por tion and a roof supporting rafter portion disposed at an "obtuse angle to the column portion, the median planes of -'said portions coinciding, said truss unit being characterized by: the fact that each of the chords comprises a pair of spaced apart inner and outer L-section chord members, the inner chord members of the column and rather portions being connected and the outer chord members of the column and rafter portions being connected, and each chord member having one of its legs disposed parallel to and spaced from said median plane and its other leg projecting away from said plane; and by the fact that the ties are interposed between and have portions of both legs thereof welded to both L-section members of each chord, with one leg of each tie flatwise engaging the first designated leg of one of the L-section members of each chord and edgewise engaging the first designated leg of the other L-section member .of each .chord and extending through said median plane, normal thereto, all of said first designated legs of the ties being disposed in a common plane; and further characterized by the fact'that the junctions of the inner and outer chord members are connected by a hollow squaresection tie member rigidly welded thereto.

2. Thetruss unit of claim 1 further characterized by the fact that one tie extends straight and unbroken across the corner formed by the junction of the inner chord members and has its ends welded to the outer chord members of the two portions of the truss unit and its middle welded to the adjacent connected ends of the inner chord members, so that said tie is common to both the column and rafter portions of the truss unit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain 1894 

